Review 242. Gabel & Klam – Elusion.

Title: Elusion.Author: Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam.Pages: 400.Published: March 18th 2014 by Katherine Tegen Books.Sort: I think Unnamed #1.Source: I received an ARC copy from the publisher for an honest review.Link: Goodreads.

Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life. Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality. Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Rating:

I think I enjoyed this book more because of the negative buzz. After seeing ratings varying from 1 to 2 stars, my expectations went down very quickly. I’m glad that I was able to enjoy it a little more. I was thinking about 2.5 flowers, but in the end I still settled down with 3 flowers despite the flaws.

The book is mostly about Regan, whose father is the great mastermind behind Elusion. This is a dreamscape world where people can hide when they want to forget their real life for a moment. You hook yourself up to some special devices and you are good to go. For one hour, you can be someone else, somewhere else. But Regan isn’t in the mood for escaping after her father’s death. The after effects intensify her loss and she has been too busy supporting Patrick, who is following into her fathers footsteps. Her life is starting to get even more complicated when she hears rumors about Elusion and it's negative effects. When she meets Josh, she believes it's time to hunt down the truth.

I loved the concept of this book and the world they were trying to create. The idea of escaping with technology sounds fascinating. I also liked the reason behind Elusion and the grim portrayal of the world was nicely done, with O2 screens and acid rain. The problems with Elusion and the discovering of the firewall was interesting, but at the same time not unexpected. I could see the twist coming and it’s not strange that there will be problems. It’s understandable that it’s addictive and I don’t get why it’s so surprising for people. Regan defends Elusion, but there are hormones released with the stimulation. It doesn’t take a scientist to understand that it will have effect on the human body, despite the special technology they were using.

So, that brings me right to my main problem with this book. Regan. This girl was at times stupid and naive. I hated how she threw herself on a boy she hardly knows (Josh) and how she always defends Patrick when he is an obvious douche. He lies and manipulates Regan and she accepts it. It’s also strange how easily she trusts Josh when she was such a firm believer of Elusion. Only a couple of words from Josh and she is ready to find evidence to bring Elusion down. The somewhat love-triangle wasn't necessarily at all. There was no chemistry. I think that the Patrick/Josh ship has more potential - and they hate each others guts.

The only thing I want to say as last is, that this book has a good potential. The basics of this story could have turned into a wonderful tale, but it became a predictable story with okay characters. I still thought it was enjoyable enough to make me curious about the next book, but there is some work to do.

35 comments

Ugh. I do NOT like what you say about the romance. Which makes me even more happy that I decided not to read my eARC of this book (A) I just did not think I would like it. Which I wouldn't. Sigh. But anyway. I'm glad you kind of enjoyed it, though :D 3 stars is pretty good. Thank you for sharing. <3

I was planning on reading this one as soon as I could now that it's released, but after what you said about the romance... Meh. I just can't stand love triangles, especially when they're done poorly. I'm glad the basic idea has potential though!

Great review! You definitely made me interesting in reading this book. I always love discovering more of these type of books, and I always like to find out if I'll like it even if it has negative buzz like you said.

Aw, that's so disappointing to hear!! I thought this would be a really good read. I love the premise of Elusion and, um, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I'm really lowering my expectations for this one because of what you said about the love-triangle. Love-triangles aren't usually a problem for me but ones with no chemistry suck. I've also found that I really dislike insta-love, which is what this sounds like. I can't stand it in hardly any situation. It just never makes sense. Even if the book is okay, chemistry-lacking relationships are really off-putting.

I've been hearing a lot of horrible things about Regan, and this review solidified my knowing that I would hate her as well, lol. But Elusion itself does seem like a really interesting concept, and I'll look forward to reading about it. I'll be a bit wary, though, since usually naive characters ruin my enjoyment of a book. Lovely review, Mel!

I was SUPER EXCITED for this book last year because the cover looked gorgeous. Then came the not-so-stellar reviews so mehh, decided to stave it off. Great review though! I always feel that writing reviews for books that fall in the "okayy" category the hardest because there's just not much to discuss besides meh =P

I didn't enjoy this book and the only salvation it has was the interesting premise. I liked the concept of elusion but the rest felt flat. Like you I was so frustrated with Regan, she didn't have backbone to me; she can be easily influenced by others. :(

I agree that the concept of this book is really cool. I think it is a realistic conjecture that in the future technology will rise to the level that will affect us more deeply in every way possible. Software Engineering is also the field of my studies, so I am really interested in seeing how the tech aspect is explained in this book. Though I must say bad/unlikable characters never sit well with me, so I don't know if I will try this out. Glad you enjoyed it to some extend :)

I haven't been hearing positive reviews for Elusion either! Such a shame of a gorgeous cover :( I like the concept though! Escaping reality through dreams?? That would be awesome! Sadly, the execution seems to fall flat -- I'll be avoiding this book then :/

I've been a little curious about this book and have heard some pretty good things on it. But I hate when the main character is annoying. I'll definitely have to think about whether or not I check this out before I spend my money on it. Great review!

I am honestly SO happy to see you gave Elusion 3 stars Mel. I've been wanting to read Elusion for the longest time and seeing those 1 and 2 stars and even DNFs discourage me. ):Ugh, I hate naive and clueless characters. Why do I already suspect that Regan will annoy me to no end?And LOL at " I think that the Patrick/Josh ship has more potential - and they hate each others guts." I'll see if I'll be shipping them along with you. ;DD

Just like positive hype can result in disappointment, negative hype can result in pleasant surprise! I am glad that was the case for you. But I still think I am going to pass on this one before of Regan. She sounds like just the type of character that would drive me crazy!

Your first paragraph gives me so much more hope for this book (although that might be a bad thing considering what you said about expectations!) because of all those negative reviews. Regan does sound pretty frustrating... although I may be able to tolerate her as long as everything else is okay.

I still need to read my copy of this one - like you mentioned, the negative buzz sort of threw me off a bit and I wanted to wait till it died down and I could go in unbiased. I'm really glad you were able to enjoy this one despite it's flaws and that you're interesting in going on with the series. I am worried about how stupid the MC comes off sometimes though. It's a shame that this one didn't live up to it's full potential but hopefully it improves with the next one! Thanks for the lovely review Mel ^^ xx

Isn't it hilarious how negative reviews set our expectations so low that you end up enjoying it? I don't think I will get around to reading this one, Reagan sounds completely irritating. The concept sounds fascinating though. Lovely honest review Mel!

Really!? The low ratings made you enjoy it more lol I think Ive had that happen to me a few times where a negative review actually made me want to read the book instead. The ones I already plan to read tho I try to stay away from looking at the actual reviews, but I glance at ratings.

Ahaha I would love to see an author flip the switch and turn a love triangle on its head! Can you imagine a YA book where the protagonist is caught up in a love triangle where her beloved is secretly coveting a member of the same sex? So many new areas to explore!!

Did you find you got enough resolution in the end? I heard that this was a standalone, but some bloggers felt like it was written like it was the first in a series.

I enjoyed the book as well (3 stars for me, too). I also think it has potencial, but seriously, I didn't like any character. I was thinking the world of Elusion was pretty awesome, but Regan/Josh/Patrick made me want to kick me in the face and stop reading. Great review!Lis @ The reader lines